Supporting and protecting device for third rails.



G. S. IN MAN.

SUPPORTING AND PROTECTING DEVICE FOR THIRD RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 2, 1908.

1,000,679. 1 Patented Aug. 15,1911.

UNTT

GEORGE s. INMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIs, ASSIGNOB or ONE-HALF T0 GEORGE o.

' WATERMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SUPPORTING'AND PROTECTING DEVICE'FOR THIRD RAILS.

income.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, GEORGE S. INMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in. Supporting and Protecting Devices for Third Rails; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and t0 the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel protecting and supporting device for the third or current conducting rail of an electric railway, and refers more particularly to a simple and efficient means for supporting and protecting from the elements a third rail, the contact face of which is preferabl but not necessarily on the underside thereo The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view, with parts broken away, showing my device in position adjacent to one of the track rails. Fig. 2 is a trans verse section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a section of my improved third rail supporting and protecting device.

As shown in the drawings, 1 designates one of the track rails of an electric railway, adjacent to which is located the inverted or under cont-act third or current carrying rail 2 of the system and with which the current collecting devices of the motor car are adapted to make contact.

The conducting rail 2 is retained or supported in operative position at a suitable elevation above the track rail by means of supports or holders 5, 5 which rest on and are secured to the track ties by means of lag screws, rail spikes or the like. The said holders are formed at their upper ends to provide heads 6 which receive and support the rail 2, the head being shaped'to conform generally to the cross-sectional shape of the rail. Said head is composed in part of a detachable section or cap 7 which includes the top of the head and one side thereof, and said cap is secured .to the other Specification of Letters'Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1 911.

Application filed October 2, 1908. Serial No. 455,825.

side of the head by means of bolts 8, 8.

The said detachable section or cap is hook shaped to provide an upwardly facing shoulder 9 to support one side of the rail and thehead is provided at its other side -with.a like shoulder 10 to likewise support the other side of the rail.

The conducting or third rail 2, is directly supported and is protected with its exposed or contact face 11 facing downwardly in a casing or covering which is composed of like shaped longitudinal sections 12 and 13 which are laterally fitted to the rail and are clamped thereon by means of the two part heads of the holders 5. The said casings are formed on their inner or adjacent sides to interfit with the rail 2 and are arranged to be applied to and removed laterally from the rail. Each lateral section of the casing is provided on its inner side nearest its top with a deep longitudinal groove 14: which receives the rail flange and near its bottom margin with a longitudinal recess 15 which fits over the upper side of the head of the inverted rail. The flat intermediate portion 16 fits against the web of the rail. The said sections 12 and 13 are made of convenient lengths and may extend from support to support, if desired. They are preferably made of concrete and are conveniently made in completed sections and thereafter applied to the rail. When made of concrete they may be reinforced by means of wire or fabric or other reinforcing devices 17. Said sections are provided at the adjacent or contacting margins of their upper parts with longitudinally arranged grooves or recesses 18 which are adapted to be filled when the sections are assembled on the rail with concrete or other plastic ma-- venient and simple means for protecting the third rail from contact with objects above and at the side of the same, and for support ing the rail. The making of the casing of relatively short lengths permits ready re placement of broken sections. A further advantage of making the supporting and protecting casing of concrete or like material is, first, the facility with which it may be applied, and, second, because the casing is incombustible and there is no danger of the rail becoming in part dangerously exposed in the presence of fire.

The combined supporting and protecting cover may be otherwise arranged and the details thereof varied within the scope of the invention and I do not limit myself to such details excepting to those which are specifically claimed.

I claim as my invention A combined protecting and supporting casing for an inverted third rail comprising laterally arranged sections of reinforced concrete which are adapted to be fitted over the said rail and are provided with longitudinally arranged grooves or recesses at their meeting edges which are adapted to be filled with a binding material to bind and seal said sections.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 15th day of Sept. A. D. 1908.

- GEORGE S. INMAN.

Witnesses: v

GUY M. CAMPBELL, GEORGE R..W1LKINs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing-the Commissioner of latents,

Was11ington, D. C. 

